emma-leigh

I came alone.
Now it’s home.

I’m Emma-Leigh, a South African who moved to Riyadh on my own in July 2025, for work. Fifteen months, two homes, a lot of coffee and a few desert sunsets later, Saudi Arabia is where I live, not where I’m visiting.

Most of what I know about people I learned at the front door: hosting events and VIP guests, welcoming guests at the St. Regis, and running reception in a high-end Riyadh dining room. Now I put that to work helping people find a place to live here, and feel at home in it.

It’s Emma-Leigh, pronounced like Emily.

  1. South Africawhere it started
  2. Dubai2025
  3. RiyadhJuly 2025 – now
٢٤°٤٢′ N  ·  ٤٦°٤٠′ E
The record

Hospitality first. Everything else followed.

Riyadh2025 – now

In September 2026 I joined Manara in business development. Before that I spent fifteen months in guest relations at Kuuru, where I ran reception, reservations and VIP guests, and kept the front of house and the floor talking to each other on the busiest nights.

Business Development Executive, Manara · Guest Relations, Kuuru Restaurants

Dubai2025

I moved at 21 because I wanted a career in hospitality, and Dubai was where to learn it. At the St. Regis I learned five-star standards: discretion, presentation, and paying attention to the guest before they ask.

Hostess, St. Regis Hotels & Resorts

At sea2024

I did my yachting courses and worked on board. It taught me to anticipate what people need and adapt to any room. Then I decided my career belonged on land.

Yachting, Trilogy Luxury Training & Placements

South Africa2021 – 2025

Four years hosting events, VIP functions and brand activations, plus front-of-house roles in restaurants and busy venues, including 500-guest nights. I studied at IIE Varsity College.

Big Night Out Productions · Purple Rocket Promotions

What I do

I help people find their place in Riyadh.

Manara is a concierge for people and companies moving to Saudi Arabia: housing, schools, drivers and market entry on one timeline. I look after new business.

Most days I’m out walking developments and compounds and meeting the teams who build them. Each one teaches me how people actually want to live here. Finding the right place is about much more than the apartment. It’s the lifestyle, the community, and who you’ll see at the pool on a Friday.

  • If you’re moving to Riyadh

    I’ve done it alone, and recently. I can tell you what compound life is really like, which neighbourhoods suit you, and what the first month feels like.

  • If you’re bringing a team here

    Your people arrive to a home that’s ready, not a list of viewings. I’ll make the introductions and keep things moving.

  • If you build or run a community

    I bring the guest’s side of the front desk: what residents notice, what they remember, and what makes them stay.

Visit Manara
Season 1

Emma Leigh in Riyadh

A series about my life here: the past, the present and everything still to come. Whether you’re Saudi, an expat or dreaming of moving here, pull up a chair.

  • Riyadh’s best cafés
  • Apartment and compound life
  • Weekends around the Kingdom
  • Culture, events, and the honest side of moving here

Around 3,500 people follow along on Instagram and 3,100 on TikTok.

Notes to self

Things Riyadh has taught me

  • Networking is about much more than exchanging business cards.
    After a Canadian Business Network evening
  • Wherever in the world we find ourselves, there’s always something to be thankful for.
    My first Canadian Thanksgiving, as a South African in Riyadh
  • Riyadh has so much more to offer than you might expect. You just have to go and find it.
    Behind the scenes of life here
Contact

Pull up a chair.

Moving here, thinking about it, or building something people will live in? Send me a note and I’ll get back to you. Or just tell me your favourite café.